A Mindanaoan lawmaker has offered Palestinian Gaza refugees stranded in Manila to settle in Lanao del Sur and the Bangsamoro Region in Muslim Mindanao.
Rep. Zia Adiong Alonto (1st district, Lanao del Sur) said there are 21 Palestinian men married to 25 Filipinas with 23 children ages 14 years old, living in Manila where they sought refuge when the war in Gaza erupted in October 2023.
Adiong said these Palestinian men and children would face deportation by the end of April if the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Justice decide on the official status of these people.
He said without an official status from the Philippine government, these refugees cannot find temporary jobs and would rely on donations from well-meaning groups.
“I am going to the DOJ and DFA next week to check about the status of these people,” he told reporters on the sidelines at the Okir Art Festival here on Tuesday.
Adiong said he would invite these Palestinian families to resettle in Lanao del Sur or Barmm once the DFA or DOJ decides on their official status.
“Some are even doctors and engineers. They can contribute their knowledge to the development of Lanao del Sur and Barmm,” Alonto said.
He said Marawi residents who suffered the same fate during the 2017 siege will not mind at all the presence of the Palestinian refugees.
The Palestinian refugees have temporarily resettled in rental housing outside Manila living in limbo with the help of donors.
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